Following the successful launch of the Women in Clearing Network in March 2024 we launched EACH’s Women in Clearing Series, an initiative with the objective of featuring a key female leader on a regular basis to inspire other professionals in the industry.
This month, we feature Denise Holder. Denise has 11 years compliance and regulatory expertise within the central counterparty (CCP) environment and is currently Director, Compliance at Cboe Clear Europe, which is owned by Cboe Global Markets. Cboe Clear Europe is the most-connected pan-European CCP, offering safe and efficient clearing services for equities, depository receipts and ETPs, and equity derivatives (index futures and options, and single stock options) via its connections to 47 venues and being the sole CCP for Cboe Europe Derivatives, a pan-European equity derivatives marketplace. Based in Amsterdam, it is EMIR-authorised and has permanent recognition with UK and Swiss authorities..
Denise has kindly shared the following insights about her career journey by responding to three questions:
- What was the aspect of yourself that you had to work on the most to get where you are now?
Throughout my life and career, I have often heard my standards are (too) high. My counterbalances are most importantly (i) trying to set reasonable expectations, and (ii) remembering that while we should strive to do everything well it doesn’t always have to be perfect. I also continuously work on my preference to avoid being the centre of attention. I remind myself of the many personal and work life situations where I have been in the spotlight, and how such experiences have ultimately helped my personal growth.
- What key tip would you give for professionals to successfully develop in their careers?
Find role models that you can emulate, while continuing to be your true and authentic self. Try to learn from all that you do – acquiring knowledge is part of the foundation upon which your career is built. Be interested and inquisitive always!
- How do you see the future of clearing in 10 years?
As clearing seeks to innovate, which is essential to keeping pace with and driving change forward, it is important that CCPs continue, first and foremost, to act as strong risk managers. I think innovation will result in many more financial and non-financial instruments being made available for clearing over time. At Cboe Clear Europe, for instance, we will be introducing the first pan-European clearing service for securities financing transactions later this year, subject to regulatory approvals. However, 10 years is perhaps not a long enough period for significant change in this regard, keeping in mind that CCPs as systemic risk managers must design new services which are robust, and have risk management frameworks that account for the role of the CCP in maintaining financial stability both in normal and extreme conditions.
You can learn more about Denise by reading the attached document and using this link.
We would like to express our gratitude to Denise for her insightful contribution, and we look forward to continuing this EACH’s Women in Clearing Series by hosting many skilled women leaders to inspire other professionals in the clearing sector!
The Women in Clearing network takes the form of a LinkedIn group that participants may use to connect with each other.
